Barbecued Chicken with Tamarind

Name: Barbecued Chicken with Tamarind
Cuisine: China
Ingredients: 1 large handful of mixed herbs such as coriander (cilantro), mint and Thai basil; 1.6 kg (3 lb 8 oz) free-range or organic chicken, cut into 8 pieces; 2 tablespoons vegetable oil; 2 tablespoons oyster sauce; 125 ml (4 fl oz/½ cup) tamarind water; 3 tablespoons grated palm sugar (jaggery); 2 spring onions (scallions), cut into julienne; 2 tablespoons coriander seeds, roasted and ground; 1½ tablespoons light soy sauce; 1 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper; 2 teaspoons sea salt; 2 long red chillies, deseeded and cut into julienne

Preparation info

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

Balance and Harmony

By Neil Perry

Published 2008

About

This is a lovely sweet and sour combination. You can buy ready-made tamarind water these days, but I think it’s better if you make your own by soaking tamarind pulp in hot water — it tends to be thicker and more fruit flavoured.

Ingredients

1.6 kg (3 lb 8 oz) free-range or organic chicken, cut into

Asia
China
Main course

Method

To make the marinade, mix together the coriander seeds, tamarind water, palm sugar, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sea salt and white pepper, add the chicken pieces and refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Drain the chicken and reserve the marinade.

To cook the chicken, heat the barbecue to hot. Brush the grill with vegetable oil and place the chicken skin-side-down. C